How to draw a mug

A mug teaches ellipses and straight walls, two things every still life needs. These four short stages take about eight minutes and end with a shaded side and a soft shadow.

  • Pencil sketch
  • Beginner
  • 8 min
  • 4 stages

Draw on paper with any pencil or pen. Compare each stage with the guide before you move on.

The finished Simple mug drawing
What you will draw

Stage by stage

  1. Simple mug, stage 1: Block in the mug

    Block in the mug

    Lightly draw a box for the body, an oval on top for the rim and a loop on the side for the handle.

    Check before you move on: Is the oval centered on top, and is the body about as wide as the oval?

  2. Simple mug, stage 2: Draw the outline

    Draw the outline

    Trace one clean outline over your light shapes: the rim, the two straight walls, the curved base and the handle.

    Check before you move on: Are both walls straight and the same height?

  3. Simple mug, stage 3: Shade one side

    Shade one side

    Shade the right side with light diagonal strokes and fill the inside of the rim with a soft gray.

    Check before you move on: Is one side clearly darker than the other?

  4. Simple mug, stage 4: Ground the mug

    Ground the mug

    Add a soft shadow under the mug and darken the lines where the handle meets the body.

    Check before you move on: Does the mug look like it is sitting on a surface?

Tips for this drawing

  • Center the oval on top, and make the body about as wide as the oval.
  • Keep both walls straight and the same height before you shade.
  • Shade one side only, then add a soft shadow under the mug so it sits on a surface.

Make a lesson like this from your own photo

Sketchwise builds a guide image for every stage, checks your page along the way and scores the finished drawing.

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